Bring Us Your Old Junk for the Take Apart Program

We are still looking for items for our Take-Apart Program to be held on Saturday, February 3 at 2pm. Do you have old junk laying around? This is your chance to unload it--appliances, computers (no moniters) printers, keyboards, DVD players, VCRs, vacuum cleaners, and old office phones. Basically any appliance that doesn't have glass or sharp edges. Any questions call the Library at 516-6050.

Introduction to Acupuncture

On Wednesday, January 24 at 7pm, licensed acupuncturist Julie Condon, of Dover Community Acupuncture, will talk about the benefits of acupuncture and about the community model of treatment. 
What is Acupuncture? How can it help you?  Come learn about how acupuncture works and how it can help improve your health and wellness.  For those interested in experiencing acupuncture, Julie will offer a free 20-minute session focused on relaxation and stress reduction.  Free!  For more information visit www.doveracu.com

The Library will be Closed Monday

The Library will be closed on Monday, January 15 in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"A Search for Justice" performance at Library April 9, 7pm

The Friends of the Dover Public Library are delighted to present a one-man show, “A Search for Justice”, featuring actor Stephen Collins, on Monday evening April 9, 2018 at 7pm.

In this performance piece, the audience will hear the words of Abolitionist editor William Lloyd Garrison, and John Brown will tell you why he resorted to violence. Abraham Lincoln will deliver his oration at Gettysburg, and Thomas Hardy and other writers will comment on war and religion.

These historical figures will examine timely issues of social, political, and religious justice. Can justice ever be defined or is it just an abstract concept? What is Truth? How do leaders, both political and religious, use language to motivate or dissuade people? Is violent action ever justified when all else fails? Is there ever be a “just war” or is conflict inherently unjust?

Stephen Collins currently performs eight one-man shows. Receiving rave reviews for over a decade, Mr. Collins’s shows deliver not just the poetry and plays, but bring poets and playwrights to life on the stage. His shows also convey an understanding of the impact and the reactions of the characters to their respective times, giving the audience not just a performance, but an experience. This is the first of three shows Stephen Collins will present at the Dover Public Library: in May 2018 he will perform as the poet Walt Whitman and in November as the renowned American artist James McNeill Whistler.

This program is free and open to all. It was rescheduled from two earlier snowed-out dates. For more information, please call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

Learn About Our New 3D Printer and How You Might Use It!

The Dover Public Library has recently purchased an “Ultimaker 2+” 3D printer.  Now library visitors can come see a 3D printer in action near the front desk daily. There’s always something interesting being built inside its case! 

Patrons may also request that an object (customer’s choice!) be printed for them, and pay only for the materials used in their object, usually less than $2.00. We recommend checking out Thingiverse.com for ideas. Of course, you may create your own object then send us an .stl file: we have just printed a prototype cooking tool that one of our patrons designed! 

This exciting technology is quickly becoming mainstream.  On Tuesday, January 16, at 3pm and Wednesday, January 17 at 7pm our Systems and Technology Librarian, Peggy Thrasher, will explain how the 3D printer works.  At this program, she will talk about why this printer is important for the library and how our patrons can make use of it.  She will explain some of the characteristics of 3D models that make successful prints.  3D printing is solving real world problems: find out how at this program.  The Dover Public Library will help you understand how this technology can fit into your life.

Both 3D programs are free and open to all ages. No pre-registration is required. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at (603) 516-6050.

National Recognition Award for the DPL!

Maybe you've heard? Our library started accepting Passport Applications in January 2017, the first public library in NH to do so! After much training (and an exam!) 15 of our staff were certified as Passport Acceptance Agents by the Department of State. By the end of the year, we'd processed over 350 passports and received a 100% rating during an annual inspection. We helped to encourage two other libraries (Bow and Milford) to join the program also.

Unbeknownst to us, our colleagues at the National Passport Center at Pease (the folks who'd recruited us in the first place) nominated the Dover Public Library for a Special Recognition Award. Given by the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State, these national awards recognize "facilities and agents who have gone above and beyond in offering superior customer service or implemented innovations that streamline processes and enhance the customer experience.

We are honored to be attending the official Ceremony in Washington DC on January 29 to accept our award! See the announcement here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/recipients-of-the-2017-national-awards-for-passport-acceptance.html

Please call the library 603-516-6050 to make a passport appointment if you're a new applicant. (Note: renewals must be done online.)

White Chrysanthemum review

I try not to judge books by their cover, but sometimes I pick up one to read based on it.

This was certainly the case with White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht.

The photo of the woman with her feet dipped into the water, goggles on her head and net flung over her shoulder caught my attention. She looked strong, important, like she had a purpose. I immediately knew I wanted to read about whoever this was. Besides, I was really curious what any of this had to do with chrysanthemums. If you want someone to pick up your book then having a cover like this is definitely the way to go.

I wasn’t disappointed with the story, but it was far different than what I expected from such a beautiful cover. The story itself was not as beautiful.

White Chrysanthemum tells the heartbreaking story of a sister’s sacrifice and the horrors the people of Korea faced during WWII under the Japanese occupation. Split between two narratives and time periods, the plot follows sisters Hana and Emi who were torn from each other when Hana sacrifices herself to save her younger sister from a horrible fate.

Set shortly after her abduction by a Japanese soldier, Hana’s narrative follows her horrific journey as she is forced to become a “comfort woman” in a Japanese military brothel. Meanwhile, Emi’s storyline follows her present-day search for answers on what happened to her older sister after that fateful day.

Due to the sensitive nature of the plot, this book is not meant for everyone. Some sections can be downright disturbing at times and hard to swallow. Bracht has done an amazing job tackling such a difficult story. She has a beautiful style of writing that flows easily and this helps when she writes about particularly gruesome scenes. Her descriptions are done in such a careful way, giving the reader insight into the situation without being graphic.

Those who enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha will most likely be fans of this book as they have similar writing styles and plot lines. In fact, that seemed to be my main problem with the story: it felt too unoriginal. Some people may like this about the story. Instead, I felt like I was having déjà vu as I read. I’ve also become bored of the split narrative that takes place over two time periods. I understand why Bracht did it, but I would have much rather followed only Hana’s story. Emi’s was a bit lackluster.

Despite my own personal objections, I did still managed to enjoy the story – not necessarily for the storyline, but for the history behind it.

I am grateful that Bracht chose to write this story because it is a subject that is not written about in fiction a lot. When I picked up the book I was fairly unfamiliar with the Korean comfort women. I didn’t even realize that it was still a sore subject between Japan and Korea to this day. The protest Emi goes to every year in the story is actually a real protest. For the past 25 years, Koreans have gathered every Wednesday in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul demanding that the Japanese government apologize and compensate the women (an estimated 200,000) who were forced into prostitution. It is the world’s longest-running protest. Right beside these protesters is the same bronze statue Bracht writes about in her story – the small barefooted Korean girl with the shoulder-length hair. It is called the “Statue of Peace” and has become a symbol of the protest and an object of remembrance of these girls.  

Holiday Hours

We will be closed Sunday, December 31st and Monday, January 1st in celebration of the New Year. Don't forget, you can download magazines, music, movies, books and audiobooks through our website even when we are closed.

Holiday Hours

Our holiday hours:
Open all day (9-5) this Saturday, Dec. 23
Closed Sun. & Mon. Dec. 24 & 25
Closed Sun. & Mon. Dec 31 and Jan. 1
Wishing everyone the best holidays ever!

2017 Librarians’ Choice Is Now Available

We are proud to present the 2017 Librarians’ Choice; our favorite books of the year. We hope you enjoy them!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Rituals by Kelley Armstrong
Beartown by Frederik Backman
The Waking Land by Callie Bates
Lilli de Jong by Janet Benton
Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey
The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase
Feral by James Demonaco
The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
Miss You by Kate Eberlen
The Girls of Ennismore by Patricia Falvey
Setting Free the Kites by Alex George
The Little French Bistro by Nina George
Deadly Cure by Lawrence Goldstone
The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman
The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
The Dry by Jane Harper
She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
Celine by Peter Heller
Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie
Strange Weather by Joe Hill
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
The Almost  Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
News of the World Paulette Jiles
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson
Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
No Place I’d Rather Be by Cathy Lamb
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
March Book 3 by John Lewis
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh
Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
Fever by Deon Meyer
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel
Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
The Reason You’re Alive by  Matthew Quick
A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
The Heirs by Susan Rieger
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Trajectory by Richard Russo
The Chillbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan
Final Girls by Riley Sager
Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders
The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
Sourdough by Robin Sloan
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker
Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward 
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White
The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin

Non-Fiction

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Irresistible : the rise of addictive technology and the business of keeping us hooked by Adam Alter
California Dreamin': Cass Elliot before the Mamas & the Papas by Penelope Bagieu
This Is What a Librarian Looks Like by Kyle Cassidy
Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
Al Franken: Giant of the Senate by Al Franken
Morningstar by Ann Hood
I Hate Everyone, Except You by Clinton Kelly
Lifelong Kindergarten : cultivating creativity through projects, passion, peers, and play by Mitchel Resnick
The Financial Diaries : how American families cope in a world of uncertainty by Jonathan Morduch
My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglass Preston
Books for Living by Will Schwalbe
Theft by Finding by David Sedaris
The Secret Life of the Mind : how your brain thinks, feels, and decides by Mariano Sigman
The Hue and Cry at Our House : a year remembered by Benjamin Taylor
A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman
Bored and Brilliant : how spacing out can unlock your most productive and creative self by Manoush Zomorodi

 

Dover's 1907 mill blaze: hear the stories from the authors of "Factory on Fire" Dec. 18, 7pm

Local Dover historians and former Woodman Museum trustees, Mark Leno Jr. and Thom Hindle have recently published a new book about Dover’s deadliest mill fire. “Factory on Fire” is the true story of the Cocheco Mill No 1 blaze (now the One Washington Center mill) in January 1907.  Mark and Thom will talk about the fire at the Dover Public Library on Monday, December 18 at 7pm.

The Mill No. 1 fire resulted in the deaths of seven millworkers, and injured many more. The 58-hour conflagration began on January 26, 1907, an extremely cold, -20 degree morning. Based on the authors’ years of research, the book details first person accounts from workers and eyewitnesses, and includes over 50 photographs reproduced from original glass plate negatives. “Factory on Fire” explores the causes of the fire, the plight of the mill workers who dangled from open windows, the work of heroic rescuers and firefighters in extreme weather, and an intriguing lawsuit later brought against mill owners by an injured survivor.  You’ll want to come hear Mark and Thom to hear which way the court ruled!

The presentation is free and all are welcome to attend in the library’s Lecture Hall. Signed copies of the 180 page book will be available for $20 and will make great Christmas presents for anyone with an interest in Dover history! 

For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050

Library Hours for the Thanksgiving Weekend

We're closing at 5:30pm this Wednesday, then closed Nov. 23 & 24 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Open as usual on Saturday the 25th from 9-5, then closed on Sunday the 26th for Dover's Holiday Parade!

The Library Will be Closed December 8th

The Library will be closed Friday, December 8th, for a staff development day. We will be open as usual on Saturday.

Cookbook author and podcaster Kathy Gunst---Tuesday, November 21 at 7pm

     The Friends of the Dover Public Library are pleased to present renowned chef and author Kathy Gunst for a talk on Tuesday, November 21 at 7pm about the slow food movement, cooking with locally- grown ingredients, and her preference for fresh and simple components in her dishes. Kathy says, “I understand the art of simplicity and how the very best meal really relies on ingredients. And the best ingredients you can find are the ones closest to home.” 

     A resident of South Berwick, Maine, Kathy Gunst is the Resident Chef on NPR’s “Here and Now” podcast. She won the 2016 IACP Award for Best Culinary Audio and is also a James Beard Journalism award winner in the Home Cooking category. Kathy has written numerous articles for newspapers and periodicals, among them The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Yankee Magazine, and Eating Well.

       “Soup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share” (Chronicle Books, 2016) is Kathy Gunst’s newest cookbook. It grew out of a monthly gathering of her friends and neighbors who come together for winter suppers and good company. Each guest brings a pot of soup to share with the group. The host provides a side dish or two, along with bread and a simple dessert. Leftovers are divvied up and everyone gets a sample of each soup. Whether taken to a party or savored at home, this delicious collection of soup, stew, and chowder recipes will be sure to satisfy all year long.

       This program is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Library at 603-516-6050. Library hours are Monday-Wednesday 9am-8:30pm, Thursday-Friday 9am-5:30pm, Saturdays 9am-5pm and Sundays 1pm-5pm.

The Library Will Be Closed Friday, in Celebration of Veterans Day

The Library will be closed Friday, November 10th, in honor of Veterans Day.

We are open on Saturday, make sure to come for the 2pm free matinee. We will be showing Cars 3.

Try the Consumer Reports Database

Thinking about buying new appliances before Thanksgiving? Planning to do some research on those expensive gifts your kids are asking for?

We can help! The Library now offers free access to the complete Consumer Reports database. It actually has more information than Consumer Reports magazine does. In addition to product ratings and reviews, users will find in-depth advice, tips, frequently updated articles, blogs and video content. Best of all, you can access it from home. Just go to the library website , click on the Learning and Research tab, and then choose Consumer Reports and enter your barcode.

Booksale begins October 27 for Cardholders; October 28 for General Public

Doors open at 9am on Friday, October 27 for the Friends of the Library’s annual, two-week-long, gigantic fall booksale at the Dover Public Library. Only library cardholders will be able to purchase items on the first day of the sale so be sure to bring your Dover borrower’s card with you on the 27th! The sale opens to non-cardholders and the general public at 9am on Saturday, October 28.

Thousands of paperbacks, hardcover books, and media items for all ages will be available at prices from $.50 to $2.00. Many of the sale items are books donated to the library, while others are items discarded from the library’s collections. Booksale prices will be further reduced on Wednesday, November 1, and during Week #2 of the booksale, November 6-12, the remainder of the items will be sold for the bargain price of just $1.00 per bag or boxful. Any leftover books will be given away for free beginning Monday, November 13.

The library requests that no further book donations be made at this time. Donations will again be accepted after November 19.

All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Library, a 501(c)3 charitable organization which last year donated over $15,000 to the library for museum passes, children’s and adult programs, furnishings and equipment. Applications to join the Friends of the Library are available at the library’s circulation desk.

Membership is $10 annually or $7 for seniors. Friends who work at the booksale receive a 50% discount on purchases.

For more information, please call the Circulation Desk at 603-516-6050.

The Final Girls by Riley Sager

 It’s October! So begins the season of falling leaves, all things pumpkin and sweater weather. October also happens to be my favorite month literary-wise. It’s the perfect excuse to curl up under a warm blanket with a book that scares you so much you won’t be able to sleep a wink. October is the one month where my obsession with true crime and serial killers is accepted and doesn’t make me look like a crazed lunatic. It means I can watch as many horror films as I want and – you know what? It’s okay. 

But I’m not here to talk about how October finally makes me look like a normal person. I’m here to share with you a little gem of a book that, if you’re like me, might make you excited for October, too. 

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Final Girls by Riley Sager since I turned the last page. It is everything I could have ever wanted for a Halloween read and if you’re a fan of slasher flicks then you might also get a kick out of this book.

The title of the book gets its name from an “exclusive” club that the main character Quincy and two other girls (Lisa and Sam) are part of. It’s definitely not a club you want to be a member of. All three girls were victims of a mass murderer and were the only ones to come out of it alive. Lisa lost nine sorority sisters after a man wielding a knife came into their home; Sam barely escaped “Sack Man” who attacked the Nightlight Inn during her evening shift; and Quincy lost her friends after a man brutally stabbed them at their cabin getaway in the woods.

Due to their similar experiences, the media dubs these three the “Final Girls”. Years later Lisa, the first Final Girl, has decided to use her experience to helps others and acts as a sort of mentor to the other girls, although they never meet; Sam has gone off the grid and no one knows her whereabouts; and Quincy, the reluctant Final Girl, has moved on to a fairly normal life, which is aided by the fact that Quincy can’t remember much of what happened that night. 

Then one day the peace Quincy finally feels suddenly ends. Lisa has died. The authorities suspect suicide, but Quincy knows better. Sam does, too. Not long after Sam shows up on Quincy’s doorstep in the hopes of solving Lisa’s murder, and getting Quincy to accept her place as a Final Girl.

I can’t tell you how hard this book was to put down. I thought I had a pretty good idea what the plot was going to be when I started this story, but it kept changing into unexpected territories. It’s a tale of not just being a survivor, but also the importance of remembering and coming to terms with the good and evil in your life. Not to mention there are some crazy thrills along the way. 

The ending was so unexpected to me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for like a week after. I finished the last page and then kept repeating over and over again in a zombie-like trance, “Oh my god. What? I can’t. I just can’t.”

 My fiancé then told me it was late and I needed to go to bed, which I tried to do until five minutes later I heard him mumble, “You’re still thinking about it aren’t you?”

“Yes…”

Final Girls is that kind of book.

What I particularly like about this story is how it merges the horror and psychological thriller genres. As Quincy starts to remember things we get flashbacks that read like a campy horror film. Yet the rest of the plot is spent exploring her life after that infamous day and how becoming a Final Girl has impacted her life. It’s great if you like a little bit a scare, but also want to be able to sleep at night.

So if you’re like me and really enjoy your horror films and serial killer stories then add Final Girls to your list. It’s the perfect Halloween read you won’t want to miss out on.